Bo Nix says he is excited as Broncos prepare to test progress in preseason opener

The Denver Broncos are just a few days away from their 2026 preseason opener, and quarterback Bo Nix framed the moment as a simple, practical measuring stick. After practice, Nix said he is excited and called preseason “a great time” to see progress by taking work from the sideline to a live game environment.

Preseason is also where head coaches and coordinators try to turn evaluation into something specific, even if the results do not count toward the regular-season standings. For quarterbacks, that usually means managing tempo, reading defenses quickly, and learning how protection and route concepts hold up when there are different fronts and coverages than in team drills.

For the Broncos, Nix is entering the stretch with more NFL experience than he had in his earlier seasons, and the opener is the first chance for him and the offense to make comparisons against opponents who are not practicing against the same tendencies every day. The Yahoo Sports report highlighted that Broncos Country will be watching closely, not just for scoring, but for clarity: whether progress shows up in decision-making and execution.

The quarterback’s comments also fit the broader preseason rhythm, where teams typically rotate personnel and different units take turns handling game-speed snaps. That makes the opener less about one drive and more about what the staff can confirm through multiple looks, including how the passing game functions when the game plan has to account for substitutions.

While Nix’s excitement was the lead detail in the report, the underlying theme was that the Broncos are trying to build momentum toward the regular season. Preseason games can expose mismatches in timing, footwork, and communication, and coaches use those lessons to tighten the identity they want to carry into Week 1.

At the same time, the Broncos and their quarterback will not be able to control everything that comes with preseason opponents and game scripts. Opposing game plans, roster combinations, and the volume of snaps across units can all affect how any single possession looks, so the most meaningful takeaways are usually the repeated patterns rather than one standout highlight.

What to watch next is how Denver’s offense performs when it gets into longer, structured drives and whether Nix’s rhythm improves as the game moves forward. In the days following the opener, the coaching staff’s public and media-facing explanations of what they learned will also offer a clearer window into how the evaluation process is shaping up.